Device for a Set of Cutlery

ABSTRACT

A set of cutlery includes an eating part connected to a handle part, increasing the ability of small children to eat by themselves with the cutlery and encouraging them to grasp the cutlery with precision. A device for the set of cutlery includes a spoon piece and/or a fork piece having a handle connected to an eating part of the piece. The handle has a grip part that extends from the eating part. The width of the handle is about 1-10 mm and the handle has a height that exceeds the width. A user of the piece can grasp, by a precision grasp, the handle of the piece between the thumb and at least one other finger.

The present invention concerns a device for a set of cutlery forchildren and comprising a spoon piece and/or a fork piece having ahandle connected to the proper eating part of the piece of the set ofcutlery, the handle having a grip part, which allows for the user of thepiece of the set of cutlery to grasp, by a so-called precision grasp,around the handle of the piece of the set of cutlery in question, i.e.,between the thumb and at least one more finger. Cutlery for particularlychildren but also for old people and handicapped is made in a number ofdifferent variants and forms. Small children advantageously graspobjects using the so-called pincer grasp, which involves that the objectin question is grasped between the thumb and one or more other fingersof the same hand. The ability to get food down varies from child tochild when they are allowed to eat by themselves using a suitablecutlery when they have passed the stage when they eat the food directlywith their hands.

It is then important that the child can grasp the piece of the cutleryin question, viz., a spoon or a fork, so that the food remains on theproper eating part of the piece of cutlery and is controlled andadjusted by the grip part of the piece of cutlery.

Examples of cutlery comprising particular grip parts are shown in, e.g.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,826A where the handle is angled in a special way,U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,15A where the handle forms a double loop, U.S. Pat.No. 1,625,003A where the handle comprises a finger hole, U.S. Pat. No.2,338,980A where the handle forms a grip ring, U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,624Awhere the handle is provided with a finger hole, and U.S. Pat. No.2,682,705A showing a spoon having a rotatably angled and bent thinhandle but which is intended to be grasped by the entire hand.

The fine motor ability of the hand is about the ability to handle itemsby the hands, i.e., to reach, grasp, manipulate, and drop. It is basedon an interaction between fine motor and gross motor functions andinvolves hands as well as arms and shoulders. At one year of age,children begin to use the precision grasp. Speed, co-ordination, forcecontrol, motor memory and motor programmes are component parts of theprecision grasp which are developed and refined. The precision grasp isprimarily a function of the radial side of the hand, and involves amanipulative handling of an object or tool between the thumb and thefingertips, particularly the index and middle fingers.

The functional position of the hand, the optimal position for work andrelaxation, is with the forearm in an intermediate position concerningthe pronation and supination, or against the pronation, as well as thewrist somewhat dorsally flexed and intermediate position between radialand ulnar flexion. The thumb is in opposition to the index and middlefingers and the fingers are slightly flexed. The child is, by theprecision grasp, forced to hold the piece of cutlery horizontally.Common cutlery known, children can angle and thereby the food may falloff or not come into the mouth.

Thus, the main object of the present invention is to provide a device ofthe above-mentioned type and which is made to enable an improved eatingability by the piece of the cutlery in question for children and otherswho utilize the cutlery.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,279 A concerns cutlery intended for physicallyhandicapped persons, particularly for persons who have limited wristmobility. This is realized when reading column 3, lines 3-12, how thepiece of cutlery is grasped by persons in question by their entire handaround the cutlery handle and its sides (5, 3, 6) and by the thumb onthe upper side. Then the proper cutlery head (8) is facing the person inquestion. A piece of cutlery is grasped in accordance with the presentU.S. Pat. No. 5,058,279 A, i.e., with the palm of the hand along theside (5) and with the fingers bent around the rear edge (3) and thenalong the side (6). The thumb assumes a position on top of the upperside (4). The food replenishment part (8) is then facing the person.Said grasp can scarcely be compared to the precision grasp, which is thesame as when a pencil or a sewing needle is grasped.

By also JP 2000157401 A, U.S. Pat. No. 2,338,980 A, U.S. Pat. No.1,619,878 A, EP 0694370 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,975 A, U.S. Pat. No.2,995,265 A, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,344 A, sets of cutlery are known,but neither these have the advantages and technical effects and purposesas are intended according to the present invention.

Said object is achieved by means of a device according to the presentinvention, which essentially is characterized in that the width of thehandle is 1-10 mm, that the handle has a height that is 10-30 mm at theproper grip area of the handle, and that the handle has a depression atthe proper grip area, for the formation of a finger grip.

There are several advantages of said set of cutlery in comparison withknown cutlery, e.g.:

-   the set of cutlery have a multigrip function (they give the    possibility to hold the handle in various ways, e.g. precision    grasp, key grasp, transverse volar grasp, thumb grasp)-   low weight, which makes the pieces very light-   the spoons are angled in different ways-   they are made in various shapes and colours, which makes the meal an    inviting activity.

The present invention is based on the grip part, and thanks to this andits new features, the possibility is opened up that the child whoutilizes a piece of the cutlery in question can grasp the handle in aparticular way, which is suitable for the child in question, viz., theprecision grasp (the pincer grasp).

The device for a set of cutlery for children and having a handle thatallows for the child in question to grasp said cutlery by the precisiongrasp, i.e., having the cutlery handle situated between the child'sthumb and one finger, is formed according to the present invention bycutlery having fixed dimension intervals, which cannot be exceeded orfallen below if the child should be able to utilise the cutlery inquestion.

Thus, it is important that the following dimension interval is kept;

-   -   The width of the handle is 1-10 mm,    -   The height of the handle is 10-30 mm at the grip area.    -   The handle has a depression at the grip area, for the formation        of a finger grip.

The invention is described below in the form of a number of preferredembodiment examples, reference being made to the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows in perspective a spoon obliquely from above,

FIG. 2 shows the spoon held in a particular way at its rear handleportion by the precision grasp,

FIG. 3 shows the spoon from the side,

FIG. 4 shows a further grasped spoon,

FIG. 5 shows a fork having a handle according to the invention,

FIG. 6 shows a spoon having the handle in elevated position,

FIGS. 7-12 show design of handles having indentation and grasping of thepiece of the set of cutlery,

FIGS. 13-16 show pieces of the set of cutlery having holes through thehandle and the grasping of the same, and

FIGS. 17-18 show pieces of the set of cutlery having handles formed asan animal body and an animal head, respectively.

A device 1 for a set of cutlery 2, comprising a spoon piece 3 and/or afork piece 4 and having a handle 5, 6 connected to the proper eatingpart 7, 8 of the piece of the set of cutlery, has the handle 5, 6arranged in a particular way, and that the grip part 9, 10 thereof isarranged so that its longitudinal mean plane 11, 12 extends essentiallyperpendicular to said eating part 7, 8 of the piece of the set ofcutlery along an essentially mutual vertical longitudinal mean plane 13,14 through the same. More precisely, the handle 5, 6 has a grip part 9,10, which preferably extends at an angle V of 30-45° up or down from theproper eating part 7, 8 of the piece of the set of cutlery, as seen fromthe horizontal longitudinal mean plane 17, 18 of said eating part.Furthermore, the width B of the handles 5, 6 is 1-10 mm and the handle5, 6 has a height H that exceeds said width B. Thereby, it is allowedfor the user 19 of the piece of the set of cutlery 2 to grasp, by theso-called precision grasp or pincer grasp, around the handle 5, 6 of thepiece of the set of cutlery 2 in question, i.e., between the thumb 20and at least one more finger 21-24. Thereby, a suitable distance betweenthe thumb and a further interacting finger is the same as said width Bof the piece of the set of cutlery.

Suitably, the height H of the handle 5, 6 is 10-30 mm at the proper griparea 25, 26 of the handle 5, 6, which increases in height H from thearea of a connection 27, 28 between the handle 5, 6 and said eating part7, 8.

Furthermore, the handle 5, 6 has a grip-improving depression 29, 30 atthe proper grip area 25, 26, and that preferably a depression issituated on each side I, II of the handle 5, 6.

According to further embodiment examples, a said depression extendsentirely through the handle 5, 6 for the formation of a through hole 31,32. For the purpose of strengthening, the handle connects to the eatingpart 7 via a tapering joint part 33 connected to the under side of theeating part 7.

The handle 5, 6 has an outer end part 34, 35, which projects for theformation of a tip from said grip area 25, 26 and on which the piece ofthe set of cutlery 2 in question can be placed on a table 36 or anyother suitable underlayer.

Furthermore, the handle 5, 6 has a widened contact surface 37, 38,either at the connection to the eating part 7, 8 or at the outer endpart 34, 35 of the handle, whereby said widened contact surface 37, 38is arranged to allow the piece of the set of cutlery 2 in question to beplaced with the handle 5, 6 in raised position on an underlayer 36.

With the purpose of making the set of cutlery 2 more interesting to theusers, and then particularly the children, the handle 5, 6 of the pieceof the set of cutlery 2 in question may be formed as some suitablefantasy FIG. 39, 40, e.g. as an animal, for instance snake, wolf, orswan, as partly is shown in the drawings, or as a vehicle not shown orwith another easy-grip shape according to the above-mentioned. Thedesign of the figures has to be such that it is allowed to grasp thepiece of the set of cutlery in question by means of the precision grasp.

Suitably, the piece of the set of cutlery 2 consists ofenvironmental-friendly plastic material but also metal may be apossibility.

The invention is naturally not limited to the embodiments describedabove and shown in the accompanying drawings. Modifications arefeasible, particularly as for the nature of the different parts, or byusing an equivalent technique, without departing from the protectionarea of the invention, such as this is defined in the claims.

1.-10. (canceled)
 11. A device for a set of cutlery for children,comprising: at least one of a spoon piece and a fork piece, the at leastone piece having a handle connected to an eating part of the piece, thehandle having a grip part that enables a user of the at least one pieceto grasp the handle of the piece between the user's thumb and at leastone other finger, wherein a width of the handle is between about 1millimeter (mm) and about 10 mm, a height of the handle is between about10 mm and about 30 mm at the grip part, and the handle has at least onedepression at the grip part forming a finger grip.
 12. The device ofclaim 11, wherein the width is 1-5 mm.
 13. The device of claim 10,wherein the height of the handle increases from the connection of thehandle to the eating part.
 14. The device of claim 10, whereindepressions are situated on sides of the handle.
 15. The device of claim14, wherein the depressions are connected through the handle by athrough-hole.
 16. The device of claim 10, wherein the handle isconnected to the eating part by a tapering joint connected to anunderside of the eating part.
 17. The device of claim 10, wherein thehandle has a projecting outer end part that forms a tip from the grippart.
 18. The device of claim 10, wherein the handle is shaped as afantasy figure, an animal, or a vehicle.
 19. The device of claim 10,wherein a longitudinal mean plane through the grip part is substantiallyperpendicular to a longitudinal mean plane through the eating part. 20.The device of claim 10, wherein the grip part extends at an angle ofbetween about 30° and about 45° from the eating part.
 21. The device ofclaim 10, wherein the handle has a widened contact surface, either atthe connection to the eating part or at an outer end part of the handle.